David Verburg is an incredible Olympic athlete. Twenty-seven-year-old Verburg is a sprinter who has represented the United States in competitions all over the world.
In 2015, Verburg won a gold medal in the 4×400 relay race at the World Championships in Moscow. Then, in 2016, Verburg competed in the 4×400 meter relay race at the Summer Olympics in Rio. Verburg won gold, cementing his place as a world-class athlete.
In October 2018, Verburg proved he has a heart of gold to go along with all his gold medals! When Verburg saw a tortoise in trouble, he used his incredible speed to save the little animal.
Verburg and his friend were driving down the road in Gainesville, Florida, where Verburg lives. As he was driving, Verburg almost ran over a gopher tortoise stuck in the middle of the road.
When Verburg saw the gopher tortoise, he quickly swerved to avoid hitting it. There was a lot of traffic on the road, and it was clear that the tortoise was too scared to move. Verburg knew if he didn’t do something, the tortoise might not survive.
“I thought it didn’t deserve to go out that way,” Verburg told The Dodo. “I figured if I could save it, I should try.”
And so, while he was at a red light, Verburg sprinted out of the car and to the tortoise. He grabbed the tortoise and ran back into his car before the light turned green.
The tortoise stayed in her shell, too shocked to move. She stayed still as Verburg and his friend drove her to a safe place, far away from any busy roads. Verburg put the tortoise down on the ground. Afterward, the tortoise finally poked her head out and looked at the person who saved her.
“When I set her down, she poked her head out of her shell,” Verburg said. “It feels good knowing I could help an animal that needed it. I’ve always had a soft spot for animals.”
Verburg posted a photo of the incredible rescue on his Facebook page, and it quickly received over 300,000 views. Everyone was amazed by Verburg’s beautiful act of kindness. Many commenters commended Verburg for his heroism.
Another Facebooker commented with the perfect joke!
Verburg did an amazing job saving this scared little tortoise. If you’d like to see Verburg’s amazing sprinting skills in action, check out the video below.
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